'ASPIRE'
INSPIRES
Historic $50M Matching Fund Will Expand Faculty Excellence
In what is being praised as a transformative donation that will significantly elevate the University’s academic strength and national relevance, the University of Houston has received a $50 million matching fund pledge to hire preeminent faculty and establish four strategic institutes.
Called “Aspire Fund: The $50 Million Challenge,” it represents the largest single contribution to UH’s “Here, We Go” philanthropic campaign to date. The donor, who is remaining anonymous, launched this fund to encourage another $50 million in matching investments from other key contributors. In addition, the University will seek matching funds available from the state through the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP) and the Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI), raising the possibility of exceeding the $100 million mark overall.
Specifically, the “Aspire Fund” establishes four new interdisciplinary institutes, with each intended to address issues with major societal impact:
- Institute for Sustainable Energy and Energy Security
- Institute for Resilient Infrastructure and Smart Cities
- Institute for Health Care Innovation
- Institute for Global Engagement
The funds will be used to establish endowed chairs and professorships related to the institutes all across the University, which makes it a first-of-its-kind program for UH.
Though anonymous, the donor did offer a rationale for this historic contribution.
“This gift will help prepare UH students to thrive in the global marketplace. Strong faculty leadership is paramount to the University’s success. This new wave of outstanding faculty will build upon the University’s already exceptional faculty. We believe this investment will continue the process of motivating students and benefit our great city of Houston through work in the classrooms, institutes and labs.”
These “Aspire Fund” institutes will be developed and led by highly regarded scholars, such as members of the National Academies of Engineering, Science or Medicine. An accomplished international executive will be sought to lead the Institute for Global Engagement.
To create these prestigious positions, matching funds will be used to leverage support from other donors. Donors who commit $2 million to establish an endowed chair in one of the new institutes will have their gifts matched by the anonymous donor, doubling the impact to create a $4 million endowed chair. Similarly, $1 million gifts for endowed professorships in the institutes will be matched to create $2 million endowed professorships. However, contributions at all levels will be added to the overall fund.
During her recent Fall Address, UH President Renu Khator hailed the Aspire Fund as “a vote of confidence in the momentum of the University. By allowing us to recruit 25-30 of the highest caliber faculty to campus, this will help build the foundation for the university’s excellence as it moves into the second century of its existence.”
For more information, go to https://www.herewego.uh.edu/aspire-fund/.
In what is being praised as a transformative donation that will significantly elevate the University’s academic strength and national relevance, the University of Houston has received a $50 million matching fund pledge to hire preeminent faculty and establish four strategic institutes.
Called “Aspire Fund: The $50 Million Challenge,” it represents the largest single contribution to UH’s “Here, We Go” philanthropic campaign to date. The donor, who is remaining anonymous, launched this fund to encourage another $50 million in matching investments from other key contributors. In addition, the University will seek matching funds available from the state through the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP) and the Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI), raising the possibility of exceeding the $100 million mark overall.
Specifically, the “Aspire Fund” establishes four new interdisciplinary institutes, with each intended to address issues with major societal impact:
- Institute for Sustainable Energy and Energy Security
- Institute for Resilient Infrastructure and Smart Cities
- Institute for Health Care Innovation
- Institute for Global Engagement
The funds will be used to establish endowed chairs and professorships related to the institutes all across the University, which makes it a first-of-its-kind program for UH.
Though anonymous, the donor did offer a rationale for this historic contribution.
“This gift will help prepare UH students to thrive in the global marketplace. Strong faculty leadership is paramount to the University’s success. This new wave of outstanding faculty will build upon the University’s already exceptional faculty. We believe this investment will continue the process of motivating students and benefit our great city of Houston through work in the classrooms, institutes and labs.”
These “Aspire Fund” institutes will be developed and led by highly regarded scholars, such as members of the National Academies of Engineering, Science or Medicine. An accomplished international executive will be sought to lead the Institute for Global Engagement.
To create these prestigious positions, matching funds will be used to leverage support from other donors. Donors who commit $2 million to establish an endowed chair in one of the new institutes will have their gifts matched by the anonymous donor, doubling the impact to create a $4 million endowed chair. Similarly, $1 million gifts for endowed professorships in the institutes will be matched to create $2 million endowed professorships. However, contributions at all levels will be added to the overall fund.
During her recent Fall Address, UH President Renu Khator hailed the Aspire Fund as “a vote of confidence in the momentum of the University. By allowing us to recruit 25-30 of the highest caliber faculty to campus, this will help build the foundation for the university’s excellence as it moves into the second century of its existence.”
For more information, go to https://www.herewego.uh.edu/aspire-fund/.
